Do not get sucked in

I am repeating this over and over in my head. I have tried really hard to stay in my “happy place” with my kids and their sports. I don’t want to let those little voices in my head tell me that I am not doing enough, or doing it right or making the right decisions.

This year at the pool I am seeing a whole new level of parent intensity. Parents are pushing their children and the coaches for more, more, more. I swear the Olympics are to blame. Suddenly every child is a future Olympian.

Our club turned away several hundred swimmers this year. Lanes are a little crowded, especially in the lower level programs and everyone is trying to move their kids up a level. Even me.

Sarah is actually straddling two groups and was offered the chance to practice with both groups. This seemed to both of us to be a win-win. She would have the opportunity to challenge herself being at the bottom of a more advanced group and to also practice as one of the top swimmers in the other group. It also opened up MORE not less practice options. What isn’t there to be happy about in this situation? Nothing. And I need to keep telling myself this. Yet I find myself worrying about how to get her into the advanced group full time. I watch practice and count kids in lanes. This isn’t me.

Conversation on deck used to be about Nordstrom sales, PTA meetings and 50 Shades of Grey. Now it has shifted to private coaching, changing swim sites and driving to Baltimore with Phelps swim coach. Oh my…

Seriously, the notion of taking my slightly above average 10 year old to Baltimore 5 days a week (about an hour drive each way) is just crazy. Private coaching? And for a year I have been saying we have the BEST coaches in Montgomery County. Who is going to coach them that is better? Video taping my kid? I find it more entertaining to video their races and set them to LMFAO tunes. Is everyone losing their mind? Am I?

I thought I could tune all of this out but what did I find myself doing this morning? Looking up the top 15 clubs in the country and trying to find a place near one of these clubs we could move. Because my kid deserves the best and surely the parents there aren’t crazy right? I just went off the deep end.

Turns out our club is number 16. And I love it. I decided to change my perspective. My kids are just so awesome that they can bring our club into the top 15. I mean there are three of them…

I saw a friend the other day at the pool with his headphones on. When he got up to leave I realized they weren’t even plugged in to his phone and he was listening to the most awesome sound of all – silence. I am channeling my inner Phelps and grabbing some Beats headphones and losing myself in the music. It isn’t worth it. I tell myself “do not get sucked in” now I need to make myself do just that.